The Lead Up To The End
by C.M. Oliver is eastwoodgirl
Summary: A creatively AU and Klaine-centric rendering of the events from 4X14 - 4X21. In which Blaine loses Kurt, Kurt loses Blaine... and eventually finds him again. Major spoilers. Two versions to the ending: Fluff or Angst. Take your pick. NOW COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

**The Lead Up To The End**

**A/N: Not really a reaction-fic type of person. So, I thought I'd do my own AU version of events instead. The drabbles in this are sort of accidental and were not written in the order by which they appear. I was tinkering with several and realized at one point that they form a somewhat cohesive story once arranged in a certain manner. Here's what it came to be. I hope you enjoy.**

**DISCLAIMER: Glee is not mine. Although if next season, they start showing more Klaine Fluff, I might have had something to do with that. Kidding.**

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**PART ONE: Hook-Up (4X14) **_(Prompts: Hook-up, Cake Box, Hitched, Tulips, Anniversary)_

"It was just a hook-up," Kurt told him quietly but firmly, the countertenor's blue-green eyes meeting hazels. "Everybody hooks up at weddings, Blaine."

Blaine did not know how to react to that, truth be told. Almost a month after he had felt that spark of hope blossom in his chest after being with Kurt again that night of Mr. Schue's not-wedding disaster, he just couldn't think otherwise.

"Are you trying to tell me that it didn't mean anything to you, Kurt?" He knew his voice was cracking. New York was cold at any time of the year, and standing by the door to Kurt's apartment, holding a bunch of red roses and yellow tulips in one hand and a square cake box in another certainly did not improve matters.

Kurt eyed the things in his ex-boyfriend's hands warily. "It –it was never meant to –"

"Don't –fucking lie to me! Don't you try to fucking minimize this, Kurt!" The cake box landed on the cold pavement with a soft thud. The bouquet followed right after. ''It meant the world to me1 I thought –I thought there was a chance. I thought you'd already began to trust me again –was I wrong?"

Kurt sighed heavily, still stubbornly not allowing the curly-haired high school senior entrance to his apartment. 'Blaine –"

"This is not you, Kurt. You're –you're better than –you're not some guy who sleeps around breaking hearts–"

"I don't –"

"Because that's what this is!' Blaine yelled, his eyes all of a sudden becoming impossibly bright with unshed tears. "You're breaking my heart, Kurt! You're hurting me –us!" He shook his head in disbelief. "I'm trying to give you time –and space. I know I'm the one in the wrong, but –'' Blaine ran his fingers through his tousled locks. "This –this is –what happened to us? What changed, Kurt?"

"You cheated on me, Blaine1" Kurt countered back in annoyance. "Are you really asking me this right now? I can't trust you –not after what you did. You cheated on me –that's what changed! You ruined us and what we had!"

For a while, only hitched breathing could be heard in that little corner of New York. Blaine combed his hair once more with trembling fingers. Kurt feigned interest at his boots, surreptitiously casting glances elsewhere but Blaine's direction. The younger man noticed this with a huff.

"You said –" Blaine paused, a bitter smile emerging from his chapped lips. "You lied to me.'

"I beg your pardon?" Kurt's eyes narrowed.

"You never forgave me.'' Blaine's tone was more of a declaration than a question. "When you said…" He shook his head again. "We aren't really friends again, are we? You were planning this all along."

"What?" Kurt met his ex-boyfriend's eye this time, surprise very evident in his delicate features. "Say that again?" A dark chuckle ushered in Blaine's reply.

"Love 'em and leave 'em, Kurt?" Blaine mocked him. "Have me eating off the palm of your hand then dump me? Give me false hopes?"

"WHAT?" Kurt looked utterly shocked. "You think –"

"I deserve it." Blaine cut his retort with a frigid tone. He then bent down to retrieve the fallen flowers and cake box. "I would've expected –I should've expected –" He straightened himself until his gaze met Kurt's again. "There is no more need for this."

"You –you think that this is some sort of revenge?" Kurt asked incredulously. "You think I would –"

"Honestly? I don't know." Blaine's rehearsed smile was back on. "All I know is that I have no right to complain. I'll take whatever crumb you throw at me, Kurt, because I deserve it. I cheated on you and it was the single, biggest mistake of my life."

"You -have –no –idea what you're talking about," Kurt said in a clipped tone, his face losing all its color. Blaine's smile never faltered, however.

"You don't need to do this, Kurt. I am the bad guy here, the villain, not you. I will never ask for anything from you ever again, just –" He thrust the bouquet and cake box towards a frozen Kurt Hummel. "Just please don't disregard whatever happened between us. It wasn't just a hook-up. And we aren't just friends –at least not yet again."

"Blaine –"

"I made a mistake, Kurt, but never did I ever make you feel –inconsequential. Please don't do it to me." Blaine stepped away from the warm threshold and into the cold. He gestured at the items now in Kurt's grasp. "It would have been our second anniversary, if you could still call it that –but I guess not."

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**PART TWO: Audition (4X20?)**_(Prompts: Audition, Reflection, Caustic, Eternity, California)_

"I'll never say goodbye to you," Kurt said, his eyes looking anywhere but Blaine's. Kurt had come home to be a good friend and support Blaine's NYADA audition against his common sense. Frankly, whenever it came to his ex-boyfriend, everything that made sense to him now was thrown out of the window. Anyhow, here he was, deep into a conversation he knew would happen since he let it slip on one of their occasional Skype sessions that he was indeed seeing someone else in New York.

Blaine's audition went well, and Carmen Thibbadeux had but confirmed his admission to her prestigious school on the spot. The curly-haired senior had gone beyond his repertoire of Disney themes and Top 40 Hits and sang a beautiful, heartfelt rendition of Phil Collin's Against All Odds. Kurt had an inkling that Blaine mostly sang for him instead of for Carmen. He definitely had it on good authority that Blaine's audition piece was originally to be 'Reflection" from Mulan. He was almost certain that the song selection had been updated when he had told the younger boy that he was coming over to Lima in show of support. Truth be told, Kurt was both touched and terrified at the gesture.

They were now alone inside the McKinley High Auditorium. Blaine was looking directly at Kurt and Kurt alone.

"Except –you are saying goodbye." Hazel eyes shone with trepidation. "Are you really here to see me sing, Kurt? What did your new boyfriend say when you told him that?" A small smile broke the tight line that was Blaine's lips. "You may not be literally using the word, but I know a farewell when I hear it. What is really your purpose? To get rid of baggage? For closure? To gloat?"

Silence permeated the vast space once more. Both of them had so many good memories up on that stage.

"I – you were good, really good," Kurt said, trying to ease the tension. "Carmen was all but singing your praises. I would most definitely see you in NYADA next year."

"Will you be okay with that?" Blaine asked, cocking an eyebrow. "I'll be less than a mile away from you, Kurt. Will you be okay with me invading your space? Will –Adam be okay with that?"

Kurt remained still for longer than a moment, holding his own breath. Eventually, he released it.

"You should not let what happened between us interfere with your dreams, Blaine."

A hollow laugh escaped the younger boy's lips.

"Except that you were part of that dream, Kurt." Blaine finally looked away and settled his gaze at the empty orchestra pit. "You still are that dream." For the nth time that day, he ran his fingers through his already messed up hair, gel noticeably absent from it. "Will you do me a favor?"

Kurt followed his line of sight and sighed. "What is it?" Blaine met his eyes once more and Kurt was again lost in those golden hazel orbs.

"Tell me I mean nothing to you."

Kurt froze at the caustic tone, but answered nonetheless.

"I'd be lying if I said that."

A detached chuckle passed Blaine's throat. "What am I to you then? You obviously already found a replacement for me in that –Adam. And don't tell me that I'm your best friend either, because there is no way I am buying that."

"But you are –"

"No!" Blaine made a show of covering his ears with his hands. "I never just was! I don't want to hear it, Kurt. Best friends don't fuck their best friends and pretend that it never meant anything! I am NOT your best friend Kurt! We were never just friends and never will be. You have Rachel, Mercedes –I know I don't have the right to demand, but please, stop trying to force me into a damned pity role just to keep me in your life!" Blaine was panting by the time he was done. Kurt's eyes shone suspiciously with what looked like tears, but he had managed to keep his normally expressive and transparent voice somewhat distant and steady.

"What do you want me to do, Blaine? What do you want me to say? I'm trying my best here to be a mature adult. Tell me what I should do! Tell me, how do I deal with losing the trust I had for you?"

For what seemed like eternity, only their steady heartbeats could be heard.

"Do –do you love him?" Blaine broke the silence.

"Yes." Kurt answered truthfully, not missing a beat, which surprised him. Did he really just admit that out loud? Was that really what he should have said in that moment? Surely Adam was a great guy, and yes, to an extent, he had grown to love him, but it was more of like his love for Rachel, or even Finn. Would Blaine even get the context that his pronouncement was meant to be made in? Kurt loved Adam, but he wasn't in love with him. Those were two distinctly different things. He wanted to tell Blaine that, but could he? Dare he?

Blaine was staring at Kurt, seemingly surprised as well.

"I won't be coming to New York." The younger boy finally declared. "My advanced admissions letter from UCLA arrived last week. I'm moving to California and studying law."

"What?" Kurt was unable to contain his astonishment. "But –Blaine –"

"I only went thru with the audition because I wanted to see –" Blaine looked like he was thinking of how to voice out his real sentiments, but after a sigh, he seemed to have rethought his words. "I wanted to see you before I left for the West Coast." With an air of finality, he turned around and began walking towards the direction of the backstage exit.

"Blaine –WAIT!" Kurt started to jog after the younger boy's retreating back. "What about your dreams? What about performing –Broadway? What about –" What about us? Kurt had wanted to ask, but he knew that he no longer has the right to burden Blaine with that thought. The hazel-eyed senior had just told him his decision. He should be a good friend and support that right?

"Things have to change, Kurt." Blaine said, his back still against Kurt. "I cannot, for the life of me, be anywhere near you knowing that –" His voice trailed off as he resumed walking. Kurt was not yet done though.

"Blaine, I-"

"You know what?" Blaine suddenly spun around, his darkened irises onto Kurt once more. "You said you've forgiven me. But in reality, no matter what happens, no matter what I audition for, I would always be given the role of the jerk who cheated on you, the one who failed to keep you and earn back your trust. I will always love you, Kurt, but that failure –I don't want that to be the basis of my continued existence in your life."

"Blaine, please –"

"You already have everyone you need in your life, Kurt," Blaine's eyes were now blinking rapidly, as if wanting to will away the tears that he had been working hard on keeping away. "Every role's been cast. All I am right now is an understudy who has not guarantee of ever taking the spotlight again. I can't keep on dragging you back. I can't keep you tethered to your past. There's nothing left for me to do but to leave you be." A soft sob finally escaped Blaine's lips. "You deserve better Kurt, and I owe it to you."

Kurt's eyes began welling up again. What did he say to that? Kurt's loss for words was clearly evident on his face, and just as he did many times in the past, Blaine, the ever dashing and dapper gentleman, came to his rescue.

"I'm sorry for hurting you, Kurt, I truly am. No matter how many times I tell you, I know it will never be enough. But if it's any consolation, whatever pain I've caused you, I'm feeling it a hundred fold. Because when I broke your heart, the pieces of mine that I've given you shattered with it too. And you don't have to say anything to me. I'll do it for you. I'll love you, until the end of time. I love you, but -goodbye, Kurt." With one last look at his soul mate, Blaine ran off towards the exit, not once looking back. Had he chanced a glance for even just a second, he would've caught the first droplets of tears that breached Kurt's eyes, and onto the polished stage floor.

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**PART THREE: Shooting Star (4X18)**_(Prompts: Shooting Star, Call, Relay, Lighthouse, Cracked)_

(incoming call: Blaine Anderson)

Kurt's phone chirped a ballad version of Teenage Dream. Actually, it was a live recording of Blaine's performance at Callbacks before everything went south that fateful night. Not once had he thought of changing that tone or deleting it altogether.

He was in one of the many busy hallways of NYADA, making his way to a late class he had that day. His schedule was fucked up, but he really did not have much choice. Cassandra July's Dance 101 was more bearable in the late afternoons when she was hung-over from the previous night. To say that Kurt was surprised when the call came in was a gross understatement. He and Blaine certainly did not part on friendly, much less, conversational terms. Kurt nonetheless quickly ducked into one of the many empty classrooms and swiped at the LCD screen to answer the call.

"Blaine?" Kurt's voice was part gasping, part exhaling. "What –"

"Um, Kurt?" A deep voice that was not definitely his dapper ex-boyfriend came on. Kurt frowned, trying to place that timber. "Sam?"

"Um, yeah," the voice that was Sam sounded extremely uncomfortable.

"What are you doing with Blaine's phone? Why are you calling me? Where is he? Shouldn't you be in class still?" The endless barrage of questions came in a single breath.

"Um, dude, you see…" There was a clear hesitation in the blonde's voice that irked Kurt.

"Well? Speak up! I need to be at my Dance 101 class son and –"

"Kurt, it's about Blaine…" Kurt fought the urge to roll his eyes.

"I figured it was something like that. Well? What about him?" The other line went quiet for a while –as if Sam covered the mouthpiece on his end. Kurt huffed.

"SAMUEL LLOYD EVANS! DON'T YOU DARE WASTE MY TIME! I DEMAND YOU TELL ME WHAT THE HECK YOU CALLED ME FOR!"

There was a sound of someone clearing their throat and taking a deep breath that came on… Hold on, was that a sob? "There –there was a shooting, Kurt." Sam's voice cracked. It wasn't the connection's fault. Kurt heard him crystal clear.

"Huh- WHAT?"

"A shooting." Sam said slowly. Kurt could imagine his lips mouthing every single syllable as if he was talking to an invalid. "At –school –just –a –couple –of –hours- ago –"

"WH-WHAT?" Kurt frowned. The rational part of him tried to make sense of the words he was hearing. But deep within him, his heart was already pounding like war drums. "You –you're not making any sense, Sam –"

The other line went crickets for the second time. Kurt saw red.

"SAM? SAM! For fuck's sake! Talk to me! What exactly had happened? A shooting, you say? Is everyone okay? Is Blaine? –"

"Blaine –he –he made me –" Sam's agitated voice came back on. "He made me promise to –to tell you –"

"Tell me –WHAT –Evans?" Kurt forced out all the venom that he had in his voice. This wasn't making sense. It just can't. "Cut it with the shit! Where's Blaine? LET ME TALK TO HIM!"

"I –I'm so –sorry, K-Kurt." If Sam's voice shook before, it was madly trembling now. "He –he s-saved –protected –Glee –he –s-so many of us –we owe him. It –it all happened t-too fast…" An unmistakable sob drowned the rest of Sam's words. It was very faint, but it was enough to halt the revolution of Kurt's world.

"N-No…"

"Kurt –"

"NO! NO! NO!"

"Kurt, I –he- "

"SHUT UP! You –you're lying!" Kurt gripped his phone angrily, his vision rapidly clouding with saline. "You're lying Evans! Quit it! It's not funny! Who put you up to this? Tina? You have no –"

"Kurt, please. I'm sorry," Sam pleaded, another sob escaping his lips. "Blaine –he –he was a h-hero –"

Kurt felt his knees buckle on the weight of that pronouncement. He sunk into the grimy parquet floor of that empty classroom looking utterly defeated. His eyes were tightly closed, as if willing himself to wake up from that horrible nightmare.

"N-no… Tell me –tell me it's not true. Tell me, please –Blaine! It's –it's not funny! Blaine –let me talk to that hobbit, Sam! He-he can't do this to me – Let me talk to him!"

From his end, Kurt heard Sam take a steadying breath.

"Kurt, I'm sorry. Blaine –he –he's gone."

NO! Kurt had wanted to cry out so badly, but he just could not find the strength to do so. Whatever made him take another breath after hearing those words was working double-time to keep him going.

"Kurt, Blaine –he wanted me t-to tell you –he made me p-promise…" Sam could've been shouting at him, but to Kurt, it was but a whisper. His heart was almost to a complete stop. Blaine wanted to tell him something. Kurt thought back to their last –not final, he still refused to believe it was never to be followed- encounter. Blaine bade him goodbye. "Wh-what did he say?"

**I'll love you, until the end of time.**

**I love you, but -goodbye, Kurt.**

**Goodbye, Kurt.**

"He said –that he loves you. The last words that left his lips were –that he loves you so much and he never stopped doing so… that he's happy to know –to know that you w-won't be a-alone when he's –g-gone." Sam almost inaudibly swallowed before continuing with the most difficult message relay of his entire life, from one soul mate to his tragically estranged other. "He said –he will be right beside you –n-never to leave you, come what may. He'll forever be your lighthouse, your shooting star, your –always. H-he said –he was sorry to have g-given up so easily –s-so soon. He said –n-not to cry for him –because it breaks his heart- every time –every time you cry for him –because of him…"

There could have been more words spoken after that, but Kurt had already dropped his phone, the cracked screen resulting from the impact, mocking the way he felt."

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**A/N: There are two versions to the ending of this story. Either will be uploaded within the next 24 hours so I kind of wanted to know which you would prefer to read: angsty or fluffy? You can tell me in a review. I wouldn't bother anymore with a proper poll since I have no time to do that. Just tell me in a review. I'd upload the one most people would like to read. To give you a preview however, the FLUFFY VERSION has these prompts: BATHROOM, CITRUS, DREAM, SUNNY, UNDRESS. The ANGSTY VERSION on the other hand has these: PLASTER SNOW WHITE, SACCHARINE, MAGIC, SALINE. Take your pick and let me know. Ciao Bellas, until next time –C.**

**P.S. To my Snarry followers, I do have the next chapter of ****The Last Prince**** to be uploaded tomorrow as well, please do not kill me. I was held hostage by my tow other NOW FINISHED Snarry fics: ****Music of the Night****, and the new and improved ****Ashes****. But I promise to finish TLP before posting everything else. I am also at the drawing board for two other Klaine stories: ****Runaway Prince**** and ****Angel of Music****. CrissColfer fans, I'm working on a multi-chaptered fic entitled ****One True Love –Take Two****. I'm halfway done with it, but I may not be posting it until the start of Season 5 (if there is) since I have a lot of stuff in my plate right now.**

**P.P.S. I'm still available at Twitter ****heyitschesca**** and on Facebook as ****eastwoodgirl****. See you there if you want to talk Glee, Harry Potter or just the general unfairness of life. I'm always mobile if you need someone to talk to or just cuss with. I'd love to have more friends who share my interests.**

**P.P.P.S. Oh yeah, I'm obliged to tell you that the prompts for this story came from my wonderful friend, the Peter Burke to my Neil Caffrey, the Mouse to my Carrie Bradshaw, the Kurt to my Blaine (without the sexual tension), that1BEAUTIFULBOY. You are lovely, Darwin. Oops. I used your real name. LOL.**


	2. Chapter 2

**The Lead Up to The End**

**A/N: So, Fluff won, but well, enough people convinced me to post an alternate ending. For those who want all the good stuff, please scroll down about half-way down the page to the second Author's Note. That's where the fluff is. For those Angst junkies like me, the first part is yours, which by the way, was the original ending. Enough of this, please read on and do not forget to tell me which you liked better (if you read both, that is).**

**By the way, just to let you know, if something here seems… off… well, I'm listening to/ watching Jim Cantiello's Season 4 Gleecaps while I'm typing this, so my head's not into this 100%, just so you know…**

**Again, Version A is ANGST and I was crying when I was typing it up –and I don't just cry for no reason. Tissues please. Version B is FLUFF and Dar was rolling his eyes at it and he absolutely gets miffed by sappiness. You've been warned.**

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**PART FOUR: TEENAGE DREAM (Version A) **_(Prompts: Plaster, Saccharine, Teenage Dream, Blazer, Numb)_

The first thing Kurt realized when he had opened his eyes, was that there was too much light. He brought a hand to shield himself from the glare of the sun. It was just too bright. Way too bright. For a moment, his glass eyes lingered on his knuckles –they were still raw and sore from the events of yesterday. The wall next to his bedroom door did not stand a chance. However, pain still managed to elude him while he beat the plaster senseless. It was only now that he felt the sting. Still, it was nothing compared to how painful it had been for him to breathe.

Ten hours. He had arrived from New York 10 hours ago. Twelve hours since his phone's screen cracked. And it only hit him full force just now.

From the airport he was welcomed by a raw-faced Sam and a stoic Cooper. He barely noticed them. He mechanically returned their half-hearted hugs and climbed in at the back of Cooper's Escalade. Sam rode shotgun. They had been throwing him surreptitious looks from the rearview mirror during the duration of the ride –not that Kurt actually noticed. His mind was far away, still trying to make sense of everything.

The last time he saw Blaine, the hazel-eyed young man bade him goodbye. Kurt's eyes welled up with tears at that memory.

'_Did you know, Blaine? Did you somehow know that was the last time I'd ever see you?'_

Cooper was quietly discussing something with Sam up front. The blonde was nodding in agreement to what the older man had said. Kurt's ears however were trained onto something else.

"**I'll do it for you… Goodbye, Kurt."**

Kurt bit his lip until it drew blood. He closed his eyes.

"**Goodbye, Kurt."**

Goodbye.

"Kurt?" Cooper brought him out of that painful trance. The man's hazel eyes, so much alike yet so different from his younger brother's were locked onto Kurt's aquamarines from the rearview mirror. "I was wondering if you would like me to drive you to your house first to freshen up?" Cooper's tone was expectant, but Kurt could sense the underlying command in there. He nodded. The rest of the drive went by in relative silence. Until Sam decided that the quiet was too much, and fiddled with the car's stereo.

**Let's go all the way tonight, no regrets just love…**

Katy Perry's saccharine voice cut through the somber mood like a dull hacksaw.

**We can dance until we die, you and I, we'll be young forever…**

And in that moment, Kurt was brought back to another pocket of time and space, where that song meant blazers and ties and blushes and kisses –where it also meant heartache and tears and loss of trust, confessions underneath a starlit sky. Somehow, the two images went hand in hand, one never leaving the other.

But right then, in that unfamiliar escalade, Kurt just felt numb. No love, no regrets, just nothingness. He wordlessly slid off the leather seat thirty minutes later and was met by a smiling Burt Hummel standing by the front door. The smile was fake, Kurt could tell, a front his dad would put up whenever he knew Kurt was having a tough time, a front Burt had not had to use since Elizabeth Hummel's death more than a decade ago.

Kurt returned the pseudo-smile, pushed past his father and wordlessly locked himself in his old room. After a couple of aimless hits at his wall, Kurt almost crawled to his bed and as soon as his head hit the pillows that Carole had turned down for him, he was out.

That was ten hours ago. His head hurt, his eyes stung, and his lungs labored with each and every breath. No matter, he needed to keep going. Cooper would be back in a couple of hours to take him to Westerville.

To Blaine.

Kurt pushed the covers off of him and robotically went through the motions of getting into the shower.

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**PART FIVE: FIND ME (Version A) **_(Prompts: Snow White, Find Me, Prince, Magic, Saline)_

_(Song Featured: __**Find Me**__ by David Gates –please listen to it if you're not familiar. It'll help.)_

Blaine Anderson loved fairytales. Growing up, his favorite had been Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. He absolutely adored the story, especially the part when the Prince woke the slumbering princess up with a magical kiss.

Cooper remembered. Of all the things he knew about Blaine, it was the one thing that he never forgot. The youngest Anderson's casket was fashioned out of thick glass like Snow White's had been. It rested atop a wide marble plinth, nestled amongst red and yellow roses. Blaine looked like he was sleeping; his dark curls were loose, his long lashes unmoving, his cheeks pale, his red lips still. He was dressed in a stark-white three-piece suit accented by a black bowtie. He lay in that glass coffin like Snow White did, as she awaited the arrival of her prince. The only difference was, no kiss, magical or not, would ever wake Blaine –and there was nothing that his own prince could do about it.

Kurt Hummel was not your typical prince. For one, his current outfit of a black button-down shirt and dark gray jeans, and black leather boots did not scream 'princely.' His hair was a mess and his eyes were bloodshot. He did not arrive in style atop a noble steed. Instead, he quietly slipped inside the chapel using an obscure side entrance.

He saw the glass casket and let out a broken sob. Cooper had earlier briefed him on what to expect, but seeing it for himself was an entirely different matter.

As Cooper was preparing Blaine's clothes, he chanced upon his younger brother's journal, a small but thick leather-bound notebook buried in the depths of his closet. An unseen force of the universe made Cooper pull it out of its ill-concealed hiding place behind Blaine's Dalton Academy Blazer, and when he flipped it open to check it out, he was glad that he did.

The final page of Blaine's journal was a beautifully morbid collection of Blaine's idea for his own funeral. Cooper held back a sob as he perused the miniscule scribbled down notes. By the time he reached the last item, tears were running down his cheeks:

**# 26: "I have prepared a video for Kurt. I made it when I said goodbye to him. I don't know how things will be between us by the time I die, but I certainly hope he gets to see it… know how much he means to me. I never told anyone of this journal, but I'm thinking Coop or anyone else might snoop around when I'm already gone. Please, no matter how long it takes, let Kurt watch the video. I can't bear the thought of him not knowing. The DVD I made is hidden in a shoebox under my bed."**

Cooper reverently sought the said shoe box. Blaine might've intended this for a future long to come, but now, now was the time. He drove Kurt to the Our Lady of Sorrows Chapel in Westerville, not before clearing the chapel out for this final special favor he was to fulfill for his little 'squirt.' He had politely asked the other mourners to retire to a nearby café for about half an hour before pushing Kurt inside the now deserted space.

Now Kurt was alone with Blaine. Cooper went to the Projector room behind the main altar where the congregation usually had their gospel song lyrics put up on display for when Mass was celebrated so people could follow them. Now, the projector would serve another more important purpose.

Kurt stood frozen, unsure of what to do next. He was torn between approaching Blaine and bolting out of the door. Was he really strong enough to do this? See Blaine like this? But again, his indecision was remedied by his knight-in-shining armor. Even from beyond, Blaine always came to his rescue.

"**Hey, Kurt. I hope someone was able to get in touch with you to see this video I made. And I hope that you consent to watching me one final time."**

The moment Blaine's voice came on, Kurt knew that he had to stay. The projection screen to the right of the main altar glowed to life with the cheesy grin of his – his soul mate.

"**Don't hate me for saying this, but I –I have always known that I will die ahead of you. But God, I hope it was a rather cliché and cheesy death that would rather have you laughing instead of crying as you remember me by. Something like getting choked by a bowtie or dying in my sleep while the movie Moulin Rouge was playing on my old DVD player."**

Blaine's face was as bright and as cheery as it could be, considering that when he had made the video, he had just said goodbye to the love of his life.

"**The day I made this, was the day I told you goodbye. You have no idea how much I had wanted for it to be the opposite. I told you I'll be moving to California with Coop. I told you that I'd be giving up on Broadway and performing. I told you that –well, I lied. I'm sorry I lied. I know I should've fought for us, should've held on, but as I've told you, you deserve better, Kurt."**

Kurt found himself gripping the nearest pew. His heart was going a mile a minute.

"**You deserve someone you could trust, someone you could count on not to let go when the going gets tough. Between us two, you were always the stronger one, the fighter. You were my courage, Kurt. You should be with someone who can support you and not drag you down. I don't know when you will see this video, but the only thing I'm certain is that I'll try my best to be the man that you deserve while I'm away. I don't know how long it will take me, but I promise to do that. Now I know that you're thinking, 'what the hell is he talking about? He's dead now!' Well, I was planning to delete this altogether if we do get back together. But sadly, for some reason it seems that we didn't since you're watching this video. Either I died earlier than I expected or by the time I was ready to face you again, you were already happy with someone else. I'm hoping for the latter."**

Kurt's knees lost all the will to keep him up. He ended up slumped on the polished chapel floor, tears streaming from his eyes.

"**So yeah, I guess Fate fucked up. I was so sure you were my soul mate. Now I know you don't believe in the afterlife, but I sure do hope it's real, just so I could come and greet you when you decide it's time to leave the world with all your fabulousness and say 'I told you so.' Mostly it would be just so I could tell you how sorry I am that I never made the effort… well, yeah, you get the picture. Anyway, until then –because I know that we will see each other again and maybe I'd get another chance to be with you in that other life time. Until then, there is a song I'd want you to listen to. I know, I know, you'd be rolling your eyes and say 'not another Katy Perry song' but, no it's not. Kurt –"**

Blaine paused at this point, evidently trying to compose himself as he picked up his guitar that was behind him at that time it seemed. Kurt took the chance to take a deep breath. When Blaine came back on the screen, his eyes were red; he had obviously been rubbing them in an attempt to keep his own tears at bay. His smile resumed as he faced the screen.

"**Remember how 'Come What May' supposed to be our wedding song? Although that song still embodies everything that I felt for you, there is this song that I recently heard on the radio… And when you told me that you have already moved on, I thought… well, just listen to it, okay? And pardon the raspiness…"**

The soothing sound of Blaine's guitar came on, and Kurt was transported to reality where time never moved on and everything was alright…

**The skies are not as blue, when you're not with me  
The stars, they never seem to shine as bright  
And the hours crack like days across the ages  
And a year or two pass by with every night.  
It makes me know if i should ever leave this world before you do  
When you follow you must promise, cross your heart and promise to  
**

**Find me...look hard, and don't stop, I'll be waiting 'till then  
Don't sleep, and don't eat 'till I'm back, back in your arms again  
I don't wanna have to spend all my forever without you.  
Just knowing that you're out there somewhere too.****  
So darlin...please I'm begging you on bended knee...  
Find me...**

I**'ve tried to tell this world how much I love you.**  
**But they don't understand how deep it goes.**  
**And I can't even find the words to tell you**  
**So I'm the only one who really knows.**  
**And though we have our times together, I am always wanting more**  
**So if we get separated wont you do just like before and**

**Find me...look hard and don't stop, I'll be waiting 'till then  
Don't sleep, and don't eat 'till I'm back, back in your arms again  
Through a hundred million faces you will see me shinning through.  
'Cause I'll glow when you come close , I always do.  
So darlin' please Im begging you on bended knee..  
We can share our love through all eternity  
'Cause with you is all I ever wanna be...  
Find me  
**

All the while, Kurt was clutching desperately at his chest where his heart was supposed to be as he tried so hard not to let out the wracking sobs that were threatening to breach his lips. But his heart wasn't there. The first note of the song was enough to tell him that his heart was no longer with him but with the man singing to him… the one and only man who made him love and ache in a way that no other ever could. As the final strains of Blaine's guitar sounded, Kurt could no longer hold back. He let out a deep, primal, broken wail of necessity.

"BLAAAINE!"

"**So there, heh. I'm not really good at expressing my feelings through words, but I hope the song was enough. Wherever I am Kurt, know that I'll be waiting. Yeah –that." **

Blaine set his guitar down the floor and sheepishly grinned at the camera.

"**Don't cry Kurty. You can't cry for me. I love you. I won't say no more, because if I go on…"**

Whatever Blaine had intended to say was lost in the curly-haired man's bitter sobs of his own.

"**Th- that happens. So yeah, I'll see you Kurt."**

The projector blinked off, returning to its usual state of blankness. Kurt dutifully pushed himself off the floor, nevermore determined to get closer to the other half of his heart, his life, his soul.

Blaine looked beautiful, perfect, peaceful. Kurt approached on shaky legs. The area was empty still. The trek cost him but a few seconds, but every step towards Blaine had seemingly felt like a lifetime to him. He stopped at the foot of the glass case, wondering if now was the time to believe in fairytales. Kurt was always the cynical one between the two of them. The glass-eyed countertenor found his hands reverently caressing the cold, smooth surface. 'So near yet so far' had always been just a cliché phrase to him, until then…

But he had to try, did he not?

"I will, Blaine. Even if the afterlife didn't exist… I will dream it into life."

Gently, Kurt pressed a soft kiss on the glass right above Blaine's lips. There was at least six inches separating them, but to Kurt, it was as if he was miles away in cold, dark, and gray New York and Blaine was in warm, bright and sunny California.

Kurt had wanted to hold his breath and see if a magical kiss was all it took to wake up his sleeping prince, but he knew deep within him that no matter how much he desired for it to be real, it was too late to be caught up in all the childhood innocence of happily ever after. He pulled away, staring at Blaine's ever-still lips. He may forever be the cynic.

"I will. I will find you, Blaine. This doesn't end here, you hear me? Because you and me- we're endgame. Maybe not in this lifetime, but –" Kurt let out a shuddering gasp as the tears started to fall once again.

"I will find you Blaine, wait for me. Then we can continue our forever."

**01010101010101010101010101010**

**A/N: Yeah, there's that. *sniffles. You can pause for a while, while you wipe off the snot running off your noses. Those wanting the fluff, here's your cue. Again, I do hope you still decide to read the angst if you had avoided it. It's one of the most moving ones I'd ever written and I never compliment myself, so… Anyway, without further ado, here's Version B. Again, enjoy.**

**01010101010101010101010101010**

**PART FOUR: TEENAGE DREAM (Version B) **_(Prompts: Teenage Dream, Alarm, Sunny, Regrets, Realization)_

Kurt let out a strangled gasp as he woke up to his blaring alarm. The early New York sun burned holes through his eyes. He closed his lids, trying hard to remember why he felt like a herd of rampaging dodo birds trampled all over him –twice. Gaga, when did New York get so sunny? And then, it hit him.

This wasn't New York. And he wasn't in his makeshift room in the loft he had shared with Rachel and Santana. And that wasn't his alarm.

Kurt pushed off the familiar cream colored comforter off himself and his sturdy double bed inside his old room in his dad's house in Lima, Ohio. The second they touched the floor, Kurt's eyes were busy looking around for the source of that disturbance: his phone. A minute and a half later, he found the offending piece of convenient technology right where he left it last night –under his pillow. With a shaky tumb, he swiped across the screen and answered the call.

"Hello?" Kurt whispered, dreading the reply to come from the other end. "B-Blaine?"

"Uh no, it's Sam." Came the painful confirmation.

"Sam, why are you still using Blaine's phone to call me? Don't you have your own?" The return barb was meant to be bitchy, but it lacked its usual venom, _'Not now.' _Kurt thought ruefully.

"Yeah, well, um, it broke- from the stampede in the shooting incident, you see, and –"

"Use Finn's for fuck's sake! Stop using –a dead man's phone! And why is it even with you? That should be with- with his family! For crying out loud!" Kurt knew that he was probably loud enough to wake the dead, but he didn't care. He would yell and scream as he damn well please!

"Whoa –dead –slow down, dude!" He heard Sam say on the other end. "I have no clue what you're talking about –and Finn's not here so I can't borrow his phone. He went off to go to college remember, getting his teaching degree? I'm at Blaine's house so I'm using his phone. Why are you so worked up? I'm just trying to be a good friend to both of you, okay? God knows how much pain you stubbornly subject yourselves into without needing to. I mean what was that that happened yesterday? I was there, and Blaine's audition went well, and then he calls me, pissed drunk –"

Wait. What?

"W-wait. WHAT?" Kurt almost wished he could yank Sam out of the phone's receiving end. "Evans –Say that again!"

"Uh, which one? Geez, Kurt. Is that a trick question?" Kurt ignored the sudden urge to face palm.

"The part about Blaine –wait –he's there –with YOU –as in –RIGHT NOW? He's –he's alive? BLAINE IS ALIVE?"

"Kurt, were you drunk too or something?" The unease in Sam's voice was radiating off in waves. "Is this a bad time? Maybe I should call some other time –"

"Just answer the damn question, Evans!"

"Un, which one?"

"SAMUEL LLOYD EVANS –"

"Fine, fine. I'll humor you," said Sam, his tone bordering on patronizing. "Your wasted sort of ex-boyfriend is living and breathing. He's passed out but that's the usual effect of inhaling liters of illegally acquired booze. He's bound to wake up soon though. There? All good?"

Kurt felt his heart stop –for an entirely different reason this time. Was the last 24 hours but a dream? A horribly realistic nightmare?

"You're telling me –you're telling me the truth?"

"Yes!" Sam sighed exasperatedly. "Why would I lie about something like that, Kurt? Blaine's fine. But he's abound to wake up with an incredibly sore back, a stiff neck and a pounding headache. Wait is he allergic to tomatoes? I don't know. But Puck told me about this hang over remedy with tomato juice and half a bottle of hot sauce and I was wondering if –"

"But –the shooting – Blaine –he he didn't get hurt?" Kurt had to know, ignoring Sam's litany about Puck's miracle hangover cure. He could almost see the blonde roll his eyes in annoyance.

"Seriously man, are you sure you're not hung over as well? The shooting was a week ago –it was a false alarm. I thought Tina already told you. It was Coach Sue's gun that misfired. She was sacked afterwards. There was a stampede where I unfortunately lost my phone –and it was entirely Jacob Ben Israel's fault, but people barely got some scratches. Now, will you get your head cleared and talk to me? It's time for an intervention, Hummel. You and Blaine belong to each other. I know Brits have cool accents, but really –"

"Blaine… he's alive…" Kurt barely heard the rest of Sam's words, as in a sense of weirdly twisted déjà vu, he dropped his phone on the carpeted floor of his bedroom, hit utterly relieved body, following suit. Kurt closed his eyes in a silent prayer of thanksgiving to whatever powers that may be as he clutched the earlier discarded comforter next to him like a lifeline.

"He's alive." Suddenly, the warmth, the sunlight, the world made so much sense. Kurt fought the urge to pinch himself to check if the reality he was experiencing now was indeed genuine. Instead, he settled for banging his forehead on the floor. When it stung, Kurt's face was torn between tears, and the biggest smile he had worn since breaking up with Blaine. The feeling of realization then hit him, full force. He stood up from his not so cozy spot on the floor, threw on the first jacket that he could, grabbed the keys to his Navigator and bolted out the door.

There would be no more regrets.

**01010101010101010101010101010**

**PART FIVE: MY ONE AND ONLY YOU (Version B) **_(Prompts: Bathroom, Citrus, Undress, Role, Staircase)_

_(Song Featured: __**My One and Only You**__ by Parokya ni Edgar –do listen to this song. I know that only a few of you (mostly Filipino Gleeks) would be familiar with this. Trust me, it is the PERFECT Klaine reconciliation song.)_

Kurt parked his Navigator under the shade of an old oak tree. The engine had barely had time to fully rest when he pulled out his keys off the ignition and jumped off his seat. Half-running, he made the short distance from his car to the Andersons' front door in record time. Deftly, he disabled the security alarm as Blaine had once taught him, He closed the door behind him with a soft click.

"Who –Kurt?" Sam's blonde head peeped from the kitchen entry way. Kurt nodded and brought a finger to his lips to shush the younger boy. He quietly made his way towards him.

"He's in the showers still, I think. I've just managed to get him to go –I had to threaten him that I would throw out his citrus scented bath gel –don't know how, but it worked."

"I gave him that," said Kurt, intermittently looking at Sam and at the staircase leading up to Blaine's room. "I can't stay long, but I have –"

"Whoa, whoa, wait." Sam interrupted him. "This has got to stop. You guys have to talk it out. You can't just dance around each other forever when you both know that you two are end game. You're going to talk to him as soon as he finishes his shower and is decent enough."

Kurt shook his head.

"Not now, Sam –"

""No, you talk. I haven't seen Blaine look so broken like that, and that's saying something." Sam insisted. "Not when he came back from New York, not when you called him with news about that Adam dude –"

"I know, that's why I have a plan!" Kurt snapped at him. Sam looked shocked for a while, but that quickly turned to a wide grin.

"Are we smelling an epic 'getting-back-together' conspiracy here, Hummel?"

Kurt could not help himself but mirror the younger boy's grin.

"Yes – yes I am! Now quit interrupting me with your ill-placed high and mighty lectures and help me get my plan going!"

"Alright! Operation Nightbird is on!" Sam quipped. At Kurt's partially blank look, he clarified. "Blaine's superhero alter ego is Nightbird. And I, Blonde Chameleon, am ready for some action. Kurt, quick – you need a superhero code name!"

"NO!"

**01010101010101010101010101010**

Blaine sighed. When he had stepped out of the showers, Sam was miraculously already gone, leaving him with a note on his bed:

**Meet me at the Auditorium. We have an audition to oversee. –Sam**

Disregarding the fact that it was a Saturday, meaning school was supposedly out, and that he had no knowledge of any play or musical that needed auditions for and Glee wasn't really looking for new members, not when they were so close to Regionals, Blaine drove his Prius to McKinley High. Sam had been so supportive of his ugly lapse in judgment last night –ugh, he was never drinking again, ever –he can't just bail out on his friend. Well, if Sam did have a phone, Blaine would've been sorely tempted to just text him with an excuse, but the blonde didn't, so Blaine might as well drive over and meet with him. It should probably take his mind off of things for a while anyway. Probably. Not. He pushed the thoughts of yesterday away the best that he could.

After parking haphazardly, Blaine jogged all the way towards the auditorium, which was surprisingly empty. Wasn't there supposed to be an audition? Where was everyone else? Blaine was walking down the center aisle from the audience entrance when he noticed Sam on the stage, grinning at him.

"What took you so long?"

"Where's everybody? I thought we were here to oversee an audition. What's it for anyway?" Blaine asked as he neared the stage. To his utter confusion, Sam walked off, stage right, as the first strains of an acoustic guitar sounded from the auditorium speakers. The spotlights went off except for one in the middle, and for a second, Blaine thought he was seeing things.

"Hi, my name is Kurt Hummel. And I'm auditioning for the role of Blaine Anderson's boyfriend. Again."

Kurt. Kurt was standing in the middle of the stage, and all that Blaine could do was stare. Was this really happening? The hazel-eyed boy was frozen in his spot, trying hard not to blink, worried that if he closed his eyes one bit, Kurt would disappear.

**It took one look  
And forever laid out in front of me  
One smile then I died  
Only to be revived by you**

**There I was**  
**Thought I had everything figured out**  
**Goes to show just how much I know**  
**'Bout the way life plays out**

**I take one step away  
But I find myself coming back to you  
My one and only, one and only you, ooh****  
**

Kurt was singing. Kurt was singing to him after he had deliberately pushed the older boy away. Kurt, the love of his life was singing to him, wanting to be with him again. After all the lies he had spun to push the only one he'd ever loved away, this was Kurt's way of coming back to him – to them. Blaine felt his breath hitching as it did the first time he saw Kurt on that staircase.

**Now I know****  
That I know not a thing at all  
Except the fact that I am yours  
And that you are mine**

**Ooh**

**They told me that this wouldn't be easy  
And no  
I'm not one to complain  
I take one step away  
But I find myself coming back to you  
My one and only, one and only you**

Kurt placed everything and all that he had felt for Blaine in this one song. This had to work. It just had to. This was all of him –and all of him, he would surrender to Blaine, pride, trust and love, forever, always and eternity. There was no way he was letting anything get in the way of this. Life was too short. And if the dream he had last night was fate's way of telling him to shape up, then he would gladly do so.

**I take one step away**  
**But I find myself coming back to you**  
**My one and only, one and only you**

The final bars of the song faded away. Kurt's heart was thumping madly. With a soft smile, he met Blaine's gaze. "So, how did I do?"

Blaine was still seemingly stuck in his own fantasies. Kurt took the initiative. He jumped off the stage and walked towards the younger boy.

"I won't."

That seemed to have woken Blaine out of his stupor.

"You won't what?" Blaine asked, still clearly in disbelief over what had just transpired in the last five minutes or so. "Why –why are you here, Kurt? Aren't you supposed to be back in New York with your boyfriend?" The tone was both bitter and resigned. Kurt took a step closer.

"Well, you see, that's the thing. My boyfriend can't come with me to New York. Not until July. At least I hope he would reconsider doing so after his graduation." Blaine's eyes widened.

"You –WHAT?"

A small smile found its way to Kurt's lips.

"I know it might be too presumptuous of me, but you can't just leave and escape to California. You have a role to play, Mr. Anderson, should you choose to accept it."

"And –and that is?" Blaine asked. "Kurt, if this is–"

"My leading man, of course. What else?" Kurt declared with an almost smug smile on his lips. "Satine needs her Christian. Elphaba needs Fiyero. Heck, Ginny Weasley needs her Harry Potter –"

"But Adam –"

"Was just a stand in." Kurt finished, his gaze never leaving Blaine's. "All this time, I've been letting me hurt pride get in the way of what my heart truly feels. But no more. There's no other one I'd rather have beside me creating and fulfilling my dreams –our dreams with. Last night, I don't know exactly what it was, a dream, a nightmare, an alternate reality… but all I know is that in that time and space, I lost you and –" Kurt shook his head as if willing away the ugly thoughts plaguing him since waking up that morning. "All I know is that I cannot let that happen. Not when I have the choice –the choice to keep you beside me for as long as I could." Kurt's arms found its way circling the younger boy's waist. When Blaine did not shy away, he tightened the embrace. Blaine flushed.

"It –it won't be easy." The younger boy sighed. "How –how do we get it back to the way it was before, Kurt? How – how do I earn back the trust I've lost?"

"We don't go back to the way things were, Blaine." Kurt tore his eyes away from those gorgeous hazels and buried his face in the crook of Blaine's neck. Despite being the taller one, Kurt had always felt that fitted in the small nook perfectly. He breathed in the distinctly familiar scent of the only man he would love in any lifetime. "We make it even better. We'll take it one day at a time."

"Kurt, are you –are you sure?" Blaine asked, sounding almost scared. "I –I pushed you away."

"Do you not read, Anderson? Soul mates are forever. No matter how hard you try to push the other away, no matter how you try to escape each other's presence, they would always end up in each other's lives. You and I are endgame, Blaine Devon Anderson. No force in this universe can ever keep us apart –not the distance, not time, not –death. Kurt's voice shook considerably with that last word. "I know I asked for time and space –but I've had it with waiting –"

"Oh god, Kurt." Blaine gasped as he tightened his grip around the older boy. "I –I don't know what to say." The hazel-eyed man sounded half-triumphant and half-lost at the same time. "I thought – I thought we were over –I thought I lost you forever, and now –"

"Shh…" Kurt pulled away and looked into Blaine's now teary eyes. "Stop thinking, baby. We're back together and that's what counts. I'll never say goodbye to you Blaine, and it would be foolish of me to let you do so. So I won't. Ever." Then, bestowing a gentle kiss on Blaine's slightly parted lips, "I love you. Come what may. Until the end of time, and all that we've promised each other before. And just so its official, Blaine, would you be my boyfriend again?"

Blaine let out a choked sob. Letting out a long overdue a sigh of relief, he returned the chaste peck with fervor.

"Yes. God, Kurt. Yes."

**01010101010101010101010101010**

**A/N: See? I'm not so bad. Blaine lives, hurray! I should tell you that there is an epilogue. And yeah, Dar's just informed me that this is the LONGEST chapter I've ever written. Ever. Like in my history of writing. So please, please, please, if you liked it, hated it or just plain ambivalent, please review! I may be inspired to post the HAPPY EPILOGUE soon enough. And yeah, if you've read both versions, please take special time to tell me which is better. I think I write better angst, but if you think otherwise, please drop me a line. I want to know which areas of my writing to improve on (except the typos –no matter what I do, there are those). A sequel is in the works as well, stuff that I think should be in Season 5, but that's still eons away. I have a lot on my plate right now and I'm still on and off sick, so there's that too. Anyhow, hope you enjoyed this. Until next time –C.**

**P.S. Talk to me: Twitter (..a..t..) ****heyitschesca**** or Facebook as ****eastwoodgirl****.**


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